Been away from anime for awhile? We understand. You go out and have your life, anime will always be waiting for you when you come back. They always come back. If you are finally coming back and stopped watching sometime in or before 2013, here are all the best anime series that you missed and definitely should go back and watch.
If you are looking to watch the best anime of 2013, then you definitely need to check out there anime recommendations.
Best Anime of 2013
Attack on Titan
Facing imminent extinction, humanity retreated behind a series of tall, thick walls to escape their most dangerous threat – massive human-like Titans with a taste for human flesh.
With an enemy that eats humanity for fun rather than food, they are constantly threatened. As such, it is the duty of every human to defend the species.
Enter Eren Yegaer who, after his village was destroyed by Titans breaching the outer wall, he and his adopted sister Mikasa join the Survey Corps. They are one of three factions of the military that scouts and combats Titans outside the walls.
After joining in the brutal war, Eren discovers a secret about himself that could unravel what the world thinks they know about Titans.
As easily one the the best anime of 2013 and one of the best anime of all time, Attack on Titan was the series that took over the year. You know an anime is seriously beloved when a new episode is capable of crashing Crunchyroll.
While Attack on Titan is beloved in the long-term for its numerous surprising plot twists and increasingly complicated protagonist, in the beginning, what thrilled fans was the shock value. People were frequently eaten alive and killed, even the main character seemed to suffer that fate. In a world full of action anime where the main character is protected with thick plot armor, Attack on Titan’s lack thereof was refreshing.
Silver Spoon
Yuugo Hachiken is a hard-working, studious student, but he is tired of trying to live up to the academic expectations that are placed on him. So when it comes time to go to high school, he enrolls in the Ooezo Agricultural High School in Hokkaido.
Being so clever, he thinks he will excel in the institution, but soon learns that farming is much harder work, both physically and emotionally, more so than he expected.
While it doesn’t give a traditional view of farming, Silver Spoon does do a good job of teaching you where at least some of your food comes from.
Set in an agricultural school, Silver Spoon gives you a glimpse at the many different types of farming. From the efficiency-obsessed industrial farmer to the struggling traditionalist family farmers all the way to the newbie hobby farmer that struggles with killing an animal they raised and loved. However, Silver Spoon isn’t just an educational anime, it is filled with fun to watch characters and some surprisingly touching stories.
Kill la Kill
Ryuuko Matoi is on the hunt for her father’s killer, and her only lead is the missing half of his invention, the Scissor Blade.
On her quest, she arrives at the prestigious Honnouji Academy, a school that is ruled over by the super powerful Satsuki Kiryuuin and her Elite Four. Believing Satsuki knows who killed her father, Ryuuko challenges one of the elite, but gets beaten due to their special uniforms.
After receiving a special uniform of her own, Ryuuko sets plans into motion to dominate the school and find out what happened to her father.
Imagine an anime in which the main character got stronger the more scantily clad she was dressed. Then imagine that it was a top-tier action anime and not a hentai. How they pull it off is super clever and has made Kill la Kill a classic.
Log Horizon
Thirty thousand Japanese players of the popular Elder Tale game all log in to explore the new update of their game, only to discover they are unable to log out.
The story focuses on the socially awkward college student Shiroe, a master strategist in-game, and his friends as they try to navigate their new reality.
Sword Art Online in 2012 opened the flood gates for isekai and VRMMO anime. Log Horizon came a year later, and was unfortunately subjected to endless comparison to SAO.
Log Horizon is focused on a more realistic protagonist, had less emphasis on a harem, and had a more detailed, less flashy action plot. In fact, its plot gets so dialogue-dense and lost in the details that even fans thought it was a bit much. If you were intrigued by the MMO premise but disappointed by all the ways Sword Art Online flounder later on, Log Horizon provides a more thoughtful alternative for the concept.
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
Hachiman Hikigaya firmly believes that a joyful youth is something that people make up just to lie to themselves.
After writing an essay criticizing relationships, he is forced to join the Volunteer Service Club that is aimed at helping others solve their problems.
With the only other member being the icy Yukino Yukinoshita, they use their wits and cold views on society to help others.
In most romantic comedy anime, they have more of a focus on being quite sappy right from the beginning. However, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU presented an alternative that grounded the genre a bit. The main character is a realist and pessimist, and you actually get to watch this romance-averse young man grow romantic feelings slowly.
No star-crossed lovers here. The time that My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU takes to built up to romance makes the relationship feel much more fun to watch.
The Devil is a Part-Timer
Right on the verge of taking over the world, evil Demon Lord Satan was foiled by the hero Emilia and was forced to retreat through a dimensional portal.
He ends up in our modern world where he is without powers and without money. In order to pay his way, he gets a part-timer job slinging fast food.
Imagine being the most powerful villain in your world, only to come to our modern world where there is no magic and have to work a part-time McJob due to be able to live.
It is fun to watch fantasy beings toil as we toil.
Non Non Biyori
Asahigaoka is rural village in the middle of nowhere, and for the five students who go to school there, their days are all about keeping the boredom at bay.
All of different ages, the ways they entertain themselves never border on normal.
Non Non Biyori is a very visually-pleasing chill anime. It likes to show you beautiful landscapes, and it distracts very little from them.
There is no particular plot for the series. Non Non Biyori is quintessential Cute Girls Doing Cute Things anime, and excels at it. It is an excellent choice for just unwinding.
Maoyu – Archenemy and Hero
After fifteen years of warfare with the demon world, the Hero is unsatisfied with their advance and rushes forward to the Demon Queen’s Castle. There, he not only finds a beautiful woman that is the queen, but she needs his help.
To his surprise, she offers a way to not only help his country, but hers as well. Together, they join forces to make that dream a reality.
While Maoyu sells itself as a fun twist on the Demon Lord and Hero relationship by setting them up in a romance, Maoyu is actually a much better kingdom building anime.
While Maoyu has some cute romance moments, it is often more focused on making economic, agricultural, and political improvements that would allow both the human and demon realms to afford to stop their economy-propping forever war.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
In the distant future, humanity has abandoned a ruined Earth and now lives in the furthest reaches of space fighting their eternal enemy, the Hideauze.
During one of their massive space battles, a young soldier named Ledo and his mecha Chamber are flung through a warp hole into space. He crash lands on a strange planet that is covered completely in water.
To his surprise, he finds that other humans also live there aboard massive fleets of boats. Found by the Gargantia fleet, Ledo must navigate this strange new world.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet features some gorgeous visuals and a plot that was bursting with potential. The combination of strict space cadet and more laid-back sea-faring people makes for a comical, lovable dynamic.
However, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is more than just a comedy. It has some good action and a pretty decent twist to it. Furthermore, it tells its story on one tidy season, but you wish there was more. Not because the plot could use more fleshing out, but because you grow so attached to the characters.
Beyond the Boundary
As the last surviving member of her clan of spirit warriors, Mirai Kuriyama must use her special power of fighting using her blood in order to subdue Youmu, creatures that are the manifestation of negative human emotions.
One day at school she happens across Akihito, a rare half-breed Youmu in human form. Immediately trying to kill him, she finds out he is an immortal being and the two strike up an impromptu friendship.
As it turns out, 2013 was the year for just absolutely beautifully animated series. This KyoAni gem, a studio known for their top-tier animation before MAPPA, is the pinnacle of fluid visuals.
Hidden within this seemingly unsuspecting supernatural school club anime series are some flashy and fluid fight scenes that will just blow you away. However, the same can’t se said for the plot of Beyond the Boundary, although that is mostly because clarity is given through the movies rather than the anime series.
Golden Time
Banri Tada has finally been accepted into a private law academy in Tokyo, but due to an accident, he is without all his memories.
During his freshmen orientation, he meets Mitsuo Yanagisawa who is consummately stalked by Kouko Kaga, a girl from his old school. Banri begins to hit it off with both of them.
As they spend more time together, their fates seem intertwined, but for better or worse?
Golden Time may be a romance anime surrounding college students, but boy does it have so much drama – more drama than most high school romance anime. Furthermore, the drama is a bit ham-fisted in there too.
As you can maybe tell, Golden Time is a bit of a divisive romance anime. So will like the heavy-handed and frequent drama, and some will find the drama to be too much that it becomes eye-rolling and somewhat unenjoyable as a romance anime.
Oreshura
After being abandoned by his love-addled parents, Eita Kidou is a bit put off by romance. It also causes him to see through the love confession of one, Masuzu Natsukawa.
As it turns out, she just wanted a boyfriend to stop the daily love confessions. While he initially declines, she takes to blackmailing him to be her fake boyfriend.
While Oreshura is a romantic comedy with an added harem, it a refreshing take on the oft-used set up by being about a main character that actually really dislikes romance.
While he is adverse to falling in love, it is also nice that they didn’t make him an incel that is just mean to women either. It makes watching develop feelings pretty rewarding and sweet.
Kotoura-san
Haruka Kotoura is a school girl that can read people’s minds. Unfortunately, it has caused her nothing but trouble, eventually causing her parent’s divorce.
After she moves to a new school, she tries to avoid her classmates, but a classmate of hers finds her power not scary, but intriguing.
Kotoura-sanstarts off pretty dark with some terrible things said to a very small child, and from there, you watch her be rehabilitated by normal human kindness.
Through love and friendship, it is pleasant to see a girl come out of the protective shell they built around their heart after being completely emotionally by her family. While the emotional moments and the great comedy are so frequent it can give you whiplash, the combination is part of what makes Kotoura-san so enjoyable.
What did you think was the best anime of 2013? Let fans know in the comments section below.
